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Rebellions are built on hope

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"There was a saying we had back in the days before the Empire fell. 'Rebellions are built on hope.' I'm sure you've heard it before."
―Leia Organa[1]

"Rebellions are built on hope"[2] was a phrase adopted as a saying in the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War against the Galactic Empire.[1] The phrase originated[3] with the Ghorman Thela, who said the phrase to the revolutionary Cassian Andor on the planet Ghorman shortly before the Empire's massacre of the Ghorman[2] in 2 BBY. In 1 BBY,[4] shortly before the Battle on Jedha, Andor repeated it to Jyn Erso, who then later repeated it during a Rebel Alliance meeting discussing retrieving the plans for the Death Star superweapon from Scarif.[5]

After Erso and her team, Rogue One, sacrificed their lives to retrieve the plans from Scarif,[5] it was her use of the phrase that became famous as a rebel rallying cry: at that meeting, rebel propagandist Corwi Selgrothe recorded Erso saying the phrase and then spread the quote to encourage others throughout the galaxy to see the promise of the Rebel Alliance. Being able to capture Erso's moving speech was one of Selgrothe's proudest moments in her service to the Alliance.[6] During conflict between the Resistance and First Order, General Leia Organa, who had served in the Alliance, mentioned the saying to Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"And finally, ultimately, I was desperate to end on a hopeful note. "Rebellions are built on hope" isn’t just a T-shirt, it's a legit flame that a lot of people need to see. So hopefully I was ending on something that was upbeat, as it was important for me to do that."
―Tony Gilroy, on Andor's finale[7]

The phrase "rebellions are built on hope" first appeared in the Anthology Series film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,[5] as well as in its adult[8] and junior novelizations,[9] which released the same day as the film on December 16, 2016.[10] When working on the second season of the live-action Disney+ television series Andor, showrunner Tony Gilroy was prompted to include the origins of the line by his son.[3]

Appearances[]

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Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Poe Dameron Annual 2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Star Wars: Andor — "Who Are You?"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tony Gilroy created Andor's 'Rebellions are built on hope' origin story after his son mocked him by Lee Lenker, Maureen on Entertainment Weekly (May 9, 2025) (backup link archived on May 14, 2025)
  4. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  6. ↑ "Heroes of the Rebellion" — From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
  7. ↑ Andor' Creator Tony Gilroy on Series Finale's Biggest Moves and 'Rogue One' Links by Hibberd, James on The Hollywood Reporter (May 13, 2025) (backup link archived on May 19, 2025)
  8. ↑ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization
  9. ↑ Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel
  10. ↑ StarWars.com Rebel Reading: A Guide to Rogue One Books by Floyd, James on StarWars.com (December 14, 2016) (backup link)
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